NBC will become the first US broadcaster to transmit the Winter Olympics in Turin (10 to 26 February 2006) in high definition. To do so, the broadcaster has invested in various workflow solutions from Avid and Digidesign to create an up-to-date digital SD and HD production pipeline. According to Avid, this modernizes the video and audio workflow used at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
“These are the fourth consecutive Olympic Games at which we have used Avid solutions and the third using the former Pinnacle on-air graphics systems, which now operate under the Avid name. Each time, we have adopted a larger and more powerful workflow without reducing efficiency or reliability,” said David Mazza, Senior Vice President of Engineering at NBC Olympics. “For the 2006 Olympic Games, we are deploying our most comprehensive shared-storage solution to date. It forms the heart of our editing and graphics workflow, which for the first time also enables HD production and broadcasting of our feeds.”
NBC’s production facilities in Turin will be equipped with six Avid Unity ISIS and three Avid Unity LANshare shared-storage systems providing a total of more than 100 terabytes of storage, equivalent to 800 hours of HD footage. There will also be 36 Avid Media Composer Adrenaline systems, 29 of which are equipped with the Avid DNxcel board for HD capture. They enable real-time editing and output for high-end editorial finishing. An integrated Digidesign ICON console environment includes a D-Control console and a Pro Tools HD 7 Accel system for recording, producing and mixing audio in 5.1-channel surround sound. Five Deko 3000 HD title generators and five Thunder HD production servers will also handle all on-air graphics. NBC is also using the Avid DNxHD format to enable 1080i/25 HD production within the shared-storage environment.
The Digidesign ICON environment also forms the centrepiece of audio production and will be used around the clock in the weeks before and during the Olympic Games. NBC chose ICON for this time-critical work producing audio segments for commercials, athlete profiles and other areas because of its close integration with Avid systems. According to Avid, ICON’s tactile control and visual feedback enable engineers to complete their work quickly while maintaining the highest audio standards.
